How time flies!

Hi All,

It has been four days since I arrived in Charleston and so much has happened already! Charleston is a beautiful place and the Weintraub family is great. They are so kind and excited to take me place and show me things :) School for me doesn't start until the 11th of January so I have a few more weeks to settle in and do some exciting things! Here is a run down of what I did on each of the four days.

Saturday 29 Dec 2012
My first day in Charleston was amazing! I woke up feeling a little under the weather due to the jet lag but I put it all aside and chose to have a fantastic day. Caroline, Amy, Marc and I went to the mall to organise a few things. Our first stop was the AT&T shop where we organised a new sim card for my phone. The gentleman who served us was so kind and excited to hear of someone from Australia. I decided to give him one of the many 5c pieces that I dedicated to handing out to people. His response was astonishing, he was so humbled by the fact that I gave him something like that. He was interested in what the symbol meant and its dollar value in Australia. In return, he gave me a $1 bill which he personally signed. It was a great gesture :) Caroline then proceeded to give me the ultimate tour of the mall in which we went into so many stores! I didn't end up purchasing anything but it was still an experience I will never forget. That night, I saw snow falling for the first time in my life. It was so magical seeing these tiny snowflakes form a thick layer of white all over the houses, cars, roofs, plants and ground. I made sure that I took a lot of photos so that the memories will truly stay with me forever.

Sunday 30 Dec 2012
After sleeping for about 6 hours my body decided that sleeping was not a priority and I needed to wake up. Today was another day of firsts, the first time I went to a UU service and my first American shopping experience. That morning, Amy took Caroline and I to a service for Unitarian Universalists (a religion in which 7 principles are abided by to live a good life e.g. Acceptance of all people, respect for the web of life and all creatures) It was a real eye-opening experience and I am so excited to go again! After lunch, Amy took me shopping to a few discount malls, the American version of DFO, where I purchased 6 jumpers, 2 pairs of jeans and a jacket all for $120! It was great to see my money going far and rewarding to finally purchase something after holding back for so long leading up to my exchange program. That afternoon, Jeremiah came home after being in NY with his grandparents and cousin. It was great to finally meet him as he is so kind and caring. I also went grocery shopping with Marc which was a great way to learn about American food. THERE IS SO MUCH VARIETY! You can buy so many things and for half the price that we would usually pay!

Monday 31 Dec 2012
After my first full night of sleep, I awoke feeling refreshed, knowing that my jet lag had finally disappeared. As it was NYE, Amy and Marc planned to have some friends over for dinner and some games. Jeremiah, Caroline and I all helped out doing various jobs. Mine included setting the table and sweeping the porch (*cough cough mum and dad*). That night was so much fun! After meeting Jenny and Denny, Andrew, Hallie, Cora and Matilda, the night began with dinner which was great because Amy had purchased me some 'bangers' that reminded me of home and which everyone had a taste of and liked :) Then the games began. We split into 4 teams and I was on a team with Amy, Cora and Denny which was so much fun! We played ticket to ride (an american game in which you have to connect certain cities by train to complete a route), pickup sticks and (my favourite) jenga. The time finally approached midnight and we all sat around the TV watching the glitter ball drop and countdown begin in NY. I have always dreamed of viewing it live which I achieved that night and hopefully next year I will get to see it in the flesh!

Tuesday 1 Jan 2013
Today was a relax day so Amy, Caroline and I decided to go and see Les Mis which took up most of our day so nothing too exciting happened. I did get to try American Mac and Cheese for the first time which was amazing. Caroline and Jeremiah start school tomorrow so they were living up the last moments of their holidays by sitting on the couch watching Spongebob.

Tomorrow I will volunteer for a food pantry place where I will sort donations of food and do jobs that will hopefully lift the burden off some of the full time volunteers :) Im so excited to be in America and finally live my dream. So far, this exchange has been everything and more and I feel so grateful (especially towards my parents) for being given this opportunity of a lifetime!

Love and miss you all dearly!

Ellie xxxxxxx